English Phone & Call Phrases

Level: B1. The phone is harder than face-to-face talk — no gestures, no lip-reading, sometimes a bad line. English has a set of fixed phone phrases that do the heavy lifting. Learn these and most calls follow a predictable shape. Each phrase is tagged with its register so you sound right whether it is a work call or a mate ringing you. For calls that set up meetings, pair this with the Phone & Messaging lesson and Making Appointments.

By the end of this page you can…

…answer a call, ask for the person you want, say who you are, take or leave a message, handle a bad line, and end the call politely.

Answering and giving your name

How you answer depends on where you are. At home a simple Hello? is normal; at work you usually name the company or yourself.

Asking for someone

The polite request forms do the work here. The softer the form, the more polite it sounds.

Connecting, holding and messages

These are the phrases the person answering uses — and the ones you will hear.

Voicemail and ending the call

No answer? Leave a short, clear voicemail. Then close the call warmly.

Example phrases to say aloud

Play each line and copy the intonation — the phone rewards clear, calm speech.

A short conversation

Receptionist: Good morning, Bright Design, how can I help? Caller: Hello, could I speak to Maria in accounts, please? Receptionist: May I ask who’s calling? Caller: This is Tom Harris from Acme. It’s about last month’s invoice. Receptionist: I’m afraid Maria’s not available right now. Can I take a message? Caller: Yes, please — could you ask her to call me back on 07700 900123? Receptionist: Of course. I’ll pass that on. Thank you for calling.

Common mistakes

• ❌ I am Tom. (on the phone) → ✅ This is Tom. / It’s Tom. (Fixed phone phrase.)
• ❌ I want to speak to Mr Lee. → ✅ Could I speak to Mr Lee, please? (Softer request sounds polite.)
• ❌ Please waiting. → ✅ Hold the line, please. / Bear with me. (Use the set phrase.)
• ❌ Who are you? → ✅ May I ask who’s calling? (The direct question sounds rude on a call.)
• ❌ What? What? (on a bad line) → ✅ Sorry, you’re breaking up. (Name the problem clearly.)

Usage notes

• Register on work calls: open with the company name and yourself (Acme Ltd, Sam speaking); on personal calls a plain Hello? is normal.
• “This is” vs “It’s”: both give your name; This is Sam is a touch more formal, It’s Sam a touch more relaxed.
• Polite requests: Could you…? and Would you mind…? soften an order. See requests with can and could.
• BrE vs AmE: British Are you all right to talk?; American Is now a good time? Both check it is a good moment to call.
• Numbers: say phone numbers digit by digit, grouping with small pauses; 0 is often “oh” in British English.

Practice

Recap cheat-sheet

Quick recap before the quiz.

Quiz

Next

• Learn the whole call: English: Phone & Messaging
• Related lesson: English: Making Appointments
• Previous phrase set: English Small Talk Phrases
• Next phrase set: English Business Meeting Phrases
• New here? Start with Start Learning English Here